Improvement in spring attachments for box-covers



G. S. MERRILL. Spring Attachment for Box-Covers.

Patented April 8,1879.

FIG. 2.

| 1 1 v 1 I I l v 1 I I 1 l I I l l I UNITED STATES F T FFICE.

CYRUS S. MERRILL, 0F ALBANY, NEW YORK.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 214,169, dated April 8,1879 application filed March 5, 1879.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GYRUs S. MERRILL, of the city and county of Albany,and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement inSpring Attachments for the Covers of Boxes, &c., of which the followingis a full and exact description.

My invention relates to spring attachments for automatically retainingthe hinged covers of boxes in either an open or closed position, as maybe required; and it consists in combining, with a spring, a slide-bar,to which one endof the spring is attached, the whole being arranged tooperate in the manner here- '"inafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification,and to which reference is herein made, Figurel is an end view of a boxwith its cover closed; Fig. 2, the same with its cover opened; Fig. 3, adetached and enlarged detail of the slide-bar; and Fig. 4, a horizontalsection, showing a modification of my invention as applied to theinterior of a box.

As shown in the drawings, A represents the box, which may be of anydesired form and size. B is the cover or lid, hinged to the box at b. .Ois a spring, secured at one end, by a pin, 0, or other suitablefastening, to the box A, its other end being adapted, by means of theeye a, to slide freely on the slide-bar D, attached to the cover B.

The point at which the pin 0 is fixed should be arranged at such anangle with the end of the slide-bar that when the cover is closed theelastic power of the'sprin g will draw the eye 0 to the extremity of theslide-bar farthest from the hinged joint, in which position the springwill exert its greatest eflect in keeping the cover closed. 0n openingthe cover the eye 0' slides toward the opposite end of the ing myimprovement to boxes required to be placed in tiers. The slide-bar D hasan elbow, (1, extending below the pivotal center of the hinge when thecover is opened, when the eye 0 will slide to that part, therebybringing the spring into position to hold the cover open. A notch, a, isformed in the side of the box, so as to allow a clear unobstructedconnection between the pin a and elbow d.

I claim as my invention- The combination, with the box. A and cover B,of the spring (J and slide-bar D, arranged to operate in the manner andfor the purpose herein specified.

CYRUS S. MERRILL. Witnesses:

WILLIAM H. Low, E. F. BENHAM.

